DURBAN HIGH SCHOOL
Remember when… The 2007 KZN10 hockey season in review
I’ve thrown in a number of bits and pieces from my memories of that year.
Featured image: 2007 Kearsney College captain & SA Schools defender Greg Last who went on to represent SA and play for numerous seasons in KZN Raiders title-winning teams and in Europe for his Belgian club.
Maritzburg College were the top-rated KZN team, having played 17 games won 14 lost 3.
Living Legend: Mike Bechet… an incredible record as a schoolboy hockey coach in SA.
Next up with 15 goals were the penalty corner drag-flick guided missiles of the exceptionally strong powerfully-built left ⬅ half Tyron Mingard who wasn’t the sort of guy a striker looked forward to playing against.
Nine Maritzburg College first team players represented KZN Midlands at the Interprovincial Nationals in Port Elizabeth.
The Willowton, Pietermaritzburg based Greenfields team are now the biggest players in the synthetic sports turf market with prominent names in the SA hockey fraternity such as the legend that is Tommy Hammond among the staff led by former outstanding player and current international umpire Ayden Shrives.
Thomas More College had their first player selected for SA Schools – current Kearsney College first team head coach Sihle Ntuli.
In 2007 the current Kearsney College head coach Sihle Sigz Ntuli became the first (and only) Thomas More College boy to be selected for SA Schools.
* Astonishing when one looks at it now, Clifton College – one of the top teams in SA this year – were a second-tier hockey school in 2007. Clifton’s rapid hockey progress is one of the most remarkable KZN10 success stories.
Our Boys of KZN10 in SA Hockey 5s & Rugby 7s for Youth OG Qualifier
FIVE of the 8 players selected for the SA Fives hockey team to take part in the July 19-28 Africa Youth Games Qualifier tournament for October’s Youth Olympic Games are from KZN10 schools while DHS number 8 and captain Celimpilo Gumede is in the SA Sevens squad. The KZN10 hockey boys are Taine Bird of Northwood (Taine a recent feature article in KZN10.com), Guy Morgan (Kearsney College), Mphumelelo Maphumulo and Jared Campbell (both Maritzburg College) and Matt Lewis of Clifton College (KZN10.com knows how to pick ’em – Matt is another recent feature on your favourite website). And to top it all, Kearsney head coach Sihle Ntuli will be the man in charge.
Feature image: DHS captain and number 8 Celimpilo Gumede in SA 7s squad.
Northwood and SA 5’s shot-stopper Taine Bird is outstanding on the indoor hockey arena and Astro surfaces… a great base for Hockey Fives best practice.
The Africa Qualifier event is in Algiers, Algeria and the rugby and hockey winners go to The Big Show – the Youth Olympic Games in the City of Super-Friendly Beautiful Girls (trust me on this one, the Argie girls love SA guys) – Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Kearsney College captain Guy Morgan is heading to Algiers with his SA Hockey 5s team-mates for their shot at qualifying for The Big Show in Buenos Aires.
Photo Tracey van den Aardweg
Ahem… We gotta qualify first… Yes, dear KZN10.com fans, it’s make or break in Algiers as it is the single opportunity for South Africa to make it to The Big Show in the stunning South American country that is Argentina.
Mphumulelo Maphumulo’s laser-sharp target is the Africa Qualifier Hockey 5s gold medal with the SA team in the Algerian capital city of Algiers July 18-29.
Photo Matt Marshall
The Youth Olympics is for players age 14 to 18. The 2014 Africa qualifier was in Gaborone, Botswana which featured over 50 African countries. The inaugural Games were in Morocco in 2010.
The pace off a standing start and stick-ball dexterity of Mphumulelo’s Maritzburg College team-mate Jared Campbell will ensure that the Red Army flag flies high in Algeria.
Photo Matt Marshall
TEAMS FOR ALGERIA
RUGBY SEVENS
Christoffel Grobbelaar, Christiaan Pretorius, David Kellerman, Celempilo Gumede (DHS), Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Ross Braude, William Rose, Jacobus Hattingh, Muzilikazi Manyike, Diego Appollis, Ofentse Maubane, Ethinique Adams, Albertus Horn, Juandre de Klerk, Lional April, Remy Engelbrecht, Campbell Willemse
* Squad of 17 to be trimmed to 12 ahead of departure.
Management: Marius Schoeman, Sandile Ngcobo
Clifton College match-winner Matt Lewis will be a massive weapon from penalty corner and field play for the SA Youth team in Algiers.
Photo Terry Lewis
HOCKEY FIVES
Taine Bird (Northwood), Guy Morgan (Kearsney College), Cody Postumus, Mustapha Cassiem, Mphumelelo Maphumulo (Maritzburg College), Matt Lewis (Clifton College), Jared Campbell (Maritzburg College), Peter Jarvis, Luke Wynford
Management: Sihle Ntuli (Kearsney College)
Highly regarded Kearsney College head coach Sihle Ntuli will be the guiding force driving SA Hockey 5s’ trophy quest at the Africa Youth Games next month.
Photo Tracey van den Aardweg
Shedders’ holiday High Performance cricket camps a game-changer
ANDREW Shedlock has taken the art of cricket coaching to the next level. Two High Performance Shedders Cricket Academy camps, to be held in Durban North from 25 to 28 June and 9 to 12 July could be the turning point in KZN schoolboy cricketers’ lives. Critically, in my opinion, each camp is limited to a maximum 20 boys.
If I was age 13 to 17 again this would have been the catalyst in turning a (so-I’m-still-told) talented top-order batsman with a sound technique (thanks to Digby Rhodes, Vince van der Bijl and others) into a far better batter.
Although I captained the Maritzburg College first XI and made some runs, as a perfectionist I found myself so frustrated with the technical and mental aspects of surely – next to golf – one of the most complex ball sports around. The frustration at knowing I was not making any progress in taking my game to the next level resulted in (later much-regretted) giving up the game a couple of years post-school.
Enough of that. Coming across the Shedders ad, the first instinct was to have a look, as Andrew Shedlock and I go back 42 years, as opponents and friends. So what has Shedders got on the menu, I thought. Well, it blew me away.
Shedders, a University of Stellenbosch sports science graduate and internationally respected coach and cricket-specific fitness and conditioning consultant with the CV to prove it, has in my opinion nailed down the key to cricket success.
Featured image: Shedders has worked with legends of the game. Here’s Shedders with Sri Lanka cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara, the elegant left-hander and wicketkeeper who scored a total of 28 000 runs for his country across all formats and retired with a Test average of 57.40. Shedders’ direct contact with some of the world’s best cricketers has been of enormous practical benefit to his coaching skill set.
Apart from comprehensive batting and bowling sessions with top-class professional coaches that on its own will establish a solid platform for the upcoming cricket season (starting as early as the third term in KZN), Shedders has also teamed up with Durban North-based optometrist Glen Nugent and sports fitness and talent identification educationist eta College in offering a three-pronged approach to his camps.
I phoned him, wanting to know more.
“Thanks Jono, always good to chat. I’ll never forget that U13A game on Leeches at Maritzburg College when you were College skipper and I was DHS captain. Great memories.”
A deep thinker on the game, Shedders is constantly looking for the edge that turns “good enough” into best. The research and success-in-practice of Shedders’ internationally-acclaimed fellow University of Stellenbosch sports science graduate Dr Sherylle Calder’s EyeGym programme inspired one section of the three-pronged content of the upcoming camps. Dr Calder pinpointed Visual Intelligence training as a key tool in making a better player.
Shedders says, “a batsman’s ability in making the transition from seeing the ball to immediately processing that split-second information into employing the correct cricket stroke can make or break an innings. This is just one aspect of transferring vision into decision.”
“Sherylle worked with the 2003 World Cup-winning Australian cricket side, as well as David Miller in enhancing performance and clearly Dave and the Aussies reaped the rewards, as did the England (2003) and Springbok (2007) Rugby World Cup-winning players.”
Known for his get-in-the-trenches work ethic, one of the Andrew ‘Shedders’ Shedlock mottoes is: “Cricket is a verb not a noun so get training!”
“I’ve identified the much-talked-about but little understood hand-eye co-ordination aspect as one of the keys to unlocking the mysteries behind why talented KZN high school cricketers struggle to deliver consistent performances. I constantly hear things like ‘you can’t teach it, you’ve either got it or you haven’t’, and ‘he’s naturally gifted’. My response? A cricketer as gifted as David Miller benefited from visual intelligence training, Dave saying that it provided him with the extra edge to perform at a high level. Every cricketer, be it a batsman, bowler, wicketkeeper or fielder, constantly searches for consistency. That’s why I see this aspect as a vital function of the camps.”
To this end, the Shedders cricket camps’ optometrist, Glen Nugent, will conduct an eye and vision assessment for each player and provide the boys with follow-up cricket-specific exercises and drills to work on.
Fitness is another key indicator of success or failure. The ability to concentrate without distraction in turning a quality 50 into a match-winning hundred… or converting a useful 3-fer into a match-deciding fifer can, in my opinion, be best-judged by whether a schoolboy has the mental and physical stamina to maintain best-practice and accuracy whatever the outside influences and circumstances may be.
Shedders says this is where eta (exercise training academy) step into the camp package: “eta will conduct fitness testing services to assess current athletic abilities and to identify physical attributes and areas in need of improvement. Baseline fitness testing allows for the setting of goals and testing at regular intervals. It helps track a cricketer’s progress towards those goals.”
The fitness assessments/tests to be completed will include:
* Functional Movement Screening
* Body Composition Assessments
* Flexibility Assessments
*Agility Assessments
* Power and Speed Assessments
* Balance and Hand/Eye Co-ordination Assessments
* Power and Speed Assessments
* Cardio-respiratory Assessments
* Muscle Strength/Endurance Assessments
*Nutritional/Dietary Assessments
Clearly there is not going to be much idle time for the camps’ young cricketers. No doubt there wasn’t much idle time for a just-out-of-school Hashim Amla when Shedders was head coach of the Dolphins Cricket Academy. Hashim Amla is quoted as saying that Shedders is a coach who had a positive influence on his cricket career.
To sum up: I’ve seen Shedders in action – no “only-observe-from-the-sidelines” coach, he’s not afraid to get in the trenches. Ask Jonty Rhodes and Lance Klusener, to whom Shedders must have each pitched a thousand-plus throw-downs during his time with the Dolphins.
Shedders has the sports science background, world-level sports-playing (he’s also a former Springbok water polo player) and international cricket title-winning experience to appreciate what it takes to succeed.
Shedders is the kind of guy I’d go to war with. He’s a leader who is never afraid to push the boundaries harder and further in every sphere of cricket excellence.
My only regret about Shedders? His June/July cricket camps weren’t around when Jono Cook the aspirant teenage cricketer needed them. After a good first term, I had a shocking fourth term.
I’m convinced it would’ve been different if Shedders’ camps had been around in my time.
Unlike me, today’s KZN high school cricketers have got that opportunity.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
LIMITED TO 20 BOYS PER CAMP
Camp 1
Mon 25th to Thurs 28th June
Camp 2
Mon 9th to Thurs 12th July
Ages: 13 to 17
Time: 2pm to 4.30pm daily
Venue: Shedders Cricket Academy Durban North
Contact Shedders at 083 791 7646
or shedders@worldonline.co.za
The Spade, Barks, Skonk, Kemps’s studs & incredible MC 1st XV of ’78
GLENN “The Spade” de Graaf will go down in the annals of Maritzburg College rugby history as one of the greatest finishers ever to grace the revered turf of Goldstones. It’s a wonderful story.
I was in third form… in the first term of the year 1978… every day there was a giant training on his own on AB Jackson’s outer hockey fields alongside Shepstone House (now Hudson’s) and the San (now utilised for a related purpose). This Mufasa, a King of the Border Beasts (to a 3rd form dayboy anyway) pushing a cricket roller up & down, up & down… “Who is he,” I asked my matric brother, Graham. “Him? That’s Spade,” was the quick response.
“Why did his parents call him Spade? That’s a weird first name?” (Cue matric elder brother with a long-suffering sigh… “It’s a nickname, fool; look up ‘graaf’ in your Tweetalige Woordeboek.” (see, Millennials, we didn’t have uncle Google OK okay?).
(Please note, my brother Gra’ would never, ever, talk to me like that – but, in the interests of the dramatic moment one must do what one must do… sorry Gra’ hope you understand…).
Graaf (said my mustard-coloured little textbook), beteken in Engels die volgende: ‘bury, drive, cut, put down, spade…’
That was it: For an impressionable young mind, here was, up close (but never too-oo close) and personal a Superman… (aka Clark Kent, sans the glasses), a BA ‘Bad Attitude’ Baracus, The Incredible Hulk, Tarzan, Jet Jungle all rolled into one… – awesome… – package.
“Why’s he pushing the cricket roller every day?” I asked Gra’.
“Spade wants to make firsts.”
Done & Dusted (again)… This was my man… Every game, sitting on Basher Ridge, the first player I looked for on Goldstones… aaaah, all’s well, there’s Spade.
Probably the revelation of the 78 KZN schoolboy season was one Glenn “Spade de Graaf: Here’s his story – all the way from his home in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Thanks for asking me about my recollections of those days, Jono. My younger brother Piet gave me the College Yearbook this past weekend while visiting him. Piet lives quite a drive away from me. Great timing.”
When asked about how Glenn got involved in rugby, here’s the response: “I was a late bloomer, only started playing rugby when I was 15. Soccer was my first love. All of a sudden I found myself in this perfect setting in my matric year.”
The rest is history. After a flawless season, loose forward and captain Guy Pickering’s Team of 78 later went on to be rated by legendary Maritzburg College coach Skonk Nicholson as one of his top 3 first XV teams – a considered opinion by the great man over the span of a scarcely believable four decades at the helm of the Red Black and White’s flagship rugby team.
WHAT A TEAM! The 1978 Maritzburg College first XV.
If I remember correctly, that epic Skonk Nicholson Friday Night so ably organised by Peter Rodseth, saw Skonk reveal that the other first XV’s in his Top 3 were prop forward Dave Anderson’s (?) 1963 (or 64?) Invincibles and scrumhalf Roy Davidson’s Dream Team of 1972 that included a fearsome guy nicknamed “Growler” (?), the legendary prop forward Pip Anderson (?), loose forwards (and 73 captain) Brian Dennison, Peter Dove (?) and Graham Whitelaw (?) with the silky-smooth, brilliant schoolboy sporting talent Neville Daniels orchestrating the 72 symphony at flyhalf.
Here I record verbatim Skonk’s assessment of his favourite Spade… in the Great Man’s inimitable, classically – as always – understated prose…
Skonk on The Spade:
“G.C. de Graaf (Honours, Natal Schools) Blessed with a good turn of speed (not sure if the opposition would be so minimalist in that regard, says Jono) weight and strength (now that’s more like it, Skonk) eighthman de Graaf had a splendid season as an attacking No. 8 forward. He broke the College try-scoring record, but would be the first to admit that he owed much to the powerful College pack (*) who made it possible for him to capitalise on his undoubted assets. The quality possession which the forwards obtained often gave de Graaf space and time in which to get going, enabling him to score great tries. Quiet and unassuming as he was, he was nevertheless the right man in the right place in this particular team and he certainly made the most of his chances. He was deservedly awarded the Connie du Bois pin for the most improved player in the team.”
Here’s a précis of Skonk’s words on the formidable loose trio (more on the 1978 Maritzburg College first XV another day) of Pickering, Steve Colenbrander and The Spade: “To cap it all, the exceptional tight five were complemented by three outstanding loose forwards who hunted together… their speed enabled them to take command of many second-phase activities. Pickering and Colenbrander never spared themselves, both in attack and defence… De Graaf had an outstanding season. His speed, strength and determined driving for the tryline brought him 23 tries (in 13 matches) – a new school record. The previous record of 21 tries was held by *Andy van der Watt of the great 1963 side.”
Andy went on to play for the Springboks (more on Andy van der Watt at the foot of this text) before a distinguished career at Hilton College, the schoolmaster coaching some great Hilton sides that included Gary Teichmann, Bob Skinstad and Wayne Fyvie.
Back to Spade: “Skonk was a great coach. We had the best tight five a loose forward could ask for.”
– My two most memorable games were two away games – against DHS on Van Heerdens and Glenwood on Dixons.
“The Glenwood game, I tried something I’d never done before. With our scrum going forward I put the ball between my feet and hopped with it, like a rabbit. This enabled me to have better control.”
Spade’s best try? “That away game against Glenwood. We won a lineout ball on Glenwood’s 10-metre line. Then I somehow joined the backline, between the centres, and sprinted in for a try. How I got into that position to score, God alone knows.”
One of the great 78 games, one that will rank among the best in the two schools’ long history, took place on Van Heerdens 20th May.
The Spade versus DHS captain & No. 8 Mike Barker muscle-up was hyped to fever pitch… us 3rd formers heard rumours of death threats delivered by post, all-out war…
Mike ‘Barks’ Barker… Not to be trifled with… And he could play a bit too: DHS 1st XV 1976, ’77, ’78 (capt), Natal Schools & SA Schools loose forward.
To us wide-eyed juniors it was a spellbinding, gripping, edge-of-your-seat (I’ve run out of adjectives) Thrilla… which far outshone anything that “The (self-proclaimed) Greatest”, Muhammad Ali, and Smokin’ Joe Frazier ever put on 3 years earlier in Manilla.
The powerfully-built Barks (now a strength & conditioning coach… SURPRISE, LOL!), who played SA Schools flank that year alongside Wahl Bartman’s elder brother, Leon, and number 8 Jan “Bully” Serfontein of EP fame, inspired a great opening spell by School, smashing through for an early touchdown.
With the cultured boot of classy DHS flyhalf Daryl Scott matching College place-kicking points machine Adrian Mitchell (RIP) point for point, it was MC 13 DHS 12 with 15 minutes left.
The College pack of 8 – rated by Skonk as, “Surely one of the very best, possibly the best, ever to wear Maritzburg College rugby colours.” – then properly got the better of Barks’ fine pack, which had, also, so impressed DHS Old Boy Skonk, and The Spade stamped down the 19-12 win with his third try of the match.
“This was a great game watched by a large crowd,” said the typically understated Skonk (trust me, Skonk, it was massive on both counts).
THE SPADE ON BARKS: “My personal experience playing against Barks the first game at their field was pretty weird. I was so nervous before the game my nose started bleeding and I felt weak. I was unable to travel with the team and got a ride up to the game later, just in time for the game.
“I remember standing in the first lineout and Barks said to me, “So you’re the big College eighthman! Then he ran into me head-to-head and I thought it was a bus. After that, I hit a switch and I didn’t care… just started to do my thing. That was the toughest pack we faced, but finally we wore them down.
“One last thing. Barks and myself hit it off while playing for Natal Schools and have been friends ever since. Great guy to have as a friend.”
(Jono says, ‘not a great guy to have as an enemy’).
BARKS ON SPADE: “Jono, first up… If (death) letters were sent, it was unbeknown to me. Now that’s out the way, let’s talk about Spade… The College pack very well drilled – I’m sure the odd intimidating utter was made to each other, especially at the back of the lineouts… (If you recall, dear reader, as number eights Spade and Barks were both at the back of the lineouts… go figure).
Back to Barks: “Spade was always the standout College forward, and by hook or by crook we had to find a way of dealing with his talent. Yes, we became good friends. I even went to a few Rovers (Barks played for arch-rivals Durban Collegians) pre-season practices because he was there. Spade had this big company car, the latest Mustang, so we terrorised Durban, driving around in the Mustang. Yes, Spade and I are good mates.
“Yip, I should have listened to Spade and gone to the USA; and qualified as a legal bone manipulator lol!”
(Please note, dear reader, in the interests of painting the picture wielding the most dramatic of brushstrokes, I have embroidered Barks’ courteous answers to my questions on matters Spade…).
“Barks, even if it’s just for the sake of my hoped-for longevity, pleeeeese forgive me, big guy.”
A last word on Barks/Spade from Spade: “Barks obviously became one of my best friends and I hope to see him while in SA for our Maritzburg College Class of 1978 40th Reunion, which is always fun. Steve Glendinning is picking me up from the airport and we will be traveling up to Pietermaritzburg together. It’s amazing how someone can still have a bond with guys 40 years later. Not just the players but also the rest of the class.”
# (It’s the magic of KZN10 schoolboy rugby and the 10 fine KZN schools, Spade).
When asked if he had to choose a KZN10 rugby school of preference, had his folks not sent him to the home of the Red Black & White, the Glenn de Graaf response… and further comments, was respectful and revealing.
“They are all fine rugby schools, but I personally could not think of any other school I would like to have played for, although the Voortrekker (Voortrekker Hoërskool/High School… now dual-medium) first team were pretty intimidating.
“In the change-room before the 1978 College/Vories game, Skonk stood on a bench while we did the famous/infamous (depending on which side of the halfway line you were going to be, I guess…) war cry, working ourselves into a frenzy before taking the field. It must have been very scary for the opposition to hear.
“The guy that transformed the most was our easy-going, smiling lock, Sandy Clouston. Both Sandy and (fellow lock) Steve Glendinning’s faces would change colour, with (flank) Steve Colenbrander frothing at the mouth!
AN ICONIC IMAGE -The Stones of Gold ’78: Steve Glendinning takes hooker Mike Kempe’s lineout throw, shadowed by fellow Natal Schools’ lock forward Nic Frolich of DHS. Steve’s Maritzburg College team-mates, tighthead Swazi Meyer (right) and (left) loosehead Dave Mills (SA Schools) in support.
“Steve (Colenbrander) and I had a ritual of going out every Friday night, on the eve of a game, for a banana-split ice cream. After games we the first team would all go out together for a few beers. I remember once we were celebrating and a master from our school walked in. Out of respect we all got up and went to another pub.”
– Jono says, hope that’s still the case among the current-day KZN10 first XV boys lol!
It’s now 40 years on. When asked to name his 78 team, Spade’s response was immediate:
“Guy Pickering (flanker, our captain), Grant Acutt (outside centre), Swazi Meyer (tighthead), Stu Dixon (right wing), Andy Torr (flyhalf), Steve Colenbrander (flanker), Sandy Clouston (lock), Adrian Mitchell (fullback), Patch Furniss (our head prefect, inside centre), Dave Mills (loosehead, SA Schools), Steve Glendinning (lock, Nat Schools), Craig Jamieson (scrumhalf, Nat Schools & MC ’79 captain), myself, Mike Kempe (hooker), Bruce Durham (left wing).
“(Mike) Kemps had these boots that curled up in front. It was always funny watching him do the throw-ins at lineouts with the front of his boots curling up. Plus I think they were at least one size too big. I’ll send you a picture.”
Here’s the picture:
THE KEMPE STUDS…
* Skonk said the most unfortunate player of 78 was injured 10 Colin Crick.
—– Of the Red Black White side of 78, Spade had this to say:
“We had a tight five second to none, which made us loosies look good. In my opinion all five should have made Natal Schools.
“We also had a great scrumhalf, a smart flyhalf, two solid centres who loved to tackle, sturdy wings and a dynamic fullback in Adrian Mitchell (RIP) who was not only was a great goalkicker (180 points, breaking the long-standing record of Toffee Sharp… and still the all-time MC points-scoring record in a season) but also an exceptional playmaker.
“The team as a whole was very united, with no egos, and got on very well with one another. We would always get together after the games. We had the Coach Of All Coaches. I can still remember Skonk saying to me, ‘de Graaf, believe in yourself,’ something I carried through into my post-school life. Skonk had this uncanny knack of always pressing the right buttons.
“Then we had captain Guy Pickering, never shouted… But, damn! Did he know how to get to a ball – tough as nails – Steve Colenbrander right there with him. Craig Jamieson was more the vocal one, always pushing us. Even when tackled he somehow always managed to stay on his feet, giving us a chance to keep the play going.
“When a team keeps going forward, the ball out of sight of the opposition and no way to get it… the opposition constantly going backwards, always retreating, it must have been very demoralising for our opponents…”
Jono: “Thanks Glenn, this was very special to me, very personal.”
“Anytime, Jono. I’m looking forward to the Class of 78’s 40th on Old Boys Day, August 4.”
That’ll be a reminisce like no other. KZN10.com will try be a fly on the wall.
*****
* Glenn’s family all live in the USA.
– Spade’s eldest brother, Henk (MC Class of 81) like his elder brother Spade, is also a chiropractor in Augusta, Georgia, home of one of the four Majors, The Masters, and treats several U.S. Golf Tour professionals.
– Spade’s second-eldest brother, Piet – is CFO for one of the Proctor&Gamble (an American-based multi-national consumer goods corporation) divisions, and resides about 2 hours away, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
– Spade’s sister, Fern, who went to College’s sister school, Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, is a teacher just outside Atlanta.
– Spade’s youngest brother, Jake, lives in Spain and is the third of the de Graaf chiropractors.
*** Spade’s Last Word: “Our mother, Anne, is the backbone of the family. Mom lives just outside of lovely Charleston in South Carolina. Skonk and my mother always had a strong relationship. He would always tease her in the nicest possible way.”
KZN10.com says: “Thanks once again, Glenn, for being so helpful, patient and willing, when asked to share your remarkable story. You, through a steadfast belief that you could contribute, add value, make a difference, if selected for the 78 firsts, plus your family’s individual and collective journey, embodies all that is great in the pioneering spirit of our country’s forefathers.”
(*) More on the 1978 Maritzburg College first XV another day.
xxxxx
# Born in Krugersdorp, Andy van der Watt went to Maritzburg College in the days of the great Skonk Nicholson, played for Natal Schools at the first Craven Week, in 1964, and then, after the Air Force Gymnasium, went to Stellenbosch University in the days of the great Danie Craven, small wonder that when he was a schoolmaster at Hilton College he coached the rugby with great zest. He was the Hilton coach when Gary Teichmann, Bob Skinstad and Wayne Fyvie were at the famous school.
Maritzburg College Old Boy Andy van der Watt represented Western Province, Border and Natal, and played wing for the Springboks on the 1969-70 tour playing in 17 of the 24 matches, including the Tests against England and Ireland.
Edited from rugby365
####
DHS 10 Shakur La Douce @ Glenwood Old Boys Day… & more
THE delightful flyhalf that is Shakur La Douce on tomorrow’s Big Show vs Glenwood on Dixons:
“Thanks for asking me sir; yes we’ve still got that positive vibe since the 40-35 over the Red Black & White (Maritzburg College last Saturday).
“The atmosphere at Van Heerdens during that KZN derby was great. Playing in front of big crowds is something I have aspired to since I was a rugby-crazy little boy.”
Featured image: DHS playmaker Shakur La Douce – watched closely by School kicking coach Lyle Matthysen – has the complete game to keep Glenwood guessing.
- They may not be at Van Heerdens Saturday but that won’t stop the DHS boys from getting behind their team!
“This week’s preparation hasn’t been easy. We have done a lot of running and the coaches have also prepared us mentally to make sure… We are ready to take on Glenwood… we know we are.
“We are 100% mentally ready to beat Glenwood. We have the players and the gameplan. Mr Scott Mathie (DHS head coach) has a plan for Glenwood… ”
- DHS first XV captain & number 8 Mpilo Gumede is on Dixons at Glenwood Saturday.
A final word from a fine young man: “Thanks again sir… It’s going to be a special day for DHS and Glenwood.”
Well said, young man… Whatever the result, the most important thing to remember is that sport is an educational tool… it teaches life skills like no other.
So, what is the philosopher’s stone going to reveal? Yes, it’s the Glenwood/DHS muscle-up on Dixons Saturday? Who among the Glenwood/DHS set will come out on top? Who among these great Durban, KZN and South African schools will stamp their colours on the pages of history?
Green Machine vs Blue & Gold… Kick-off 13h55.
FNB Classic Clash – tune in at 13h50 on SuperSport 10 or search on YouTube.
*****
OK, okay this is my special indulgence…
Shakur La Douce, Sandile Patrick Valentino Dube, Sanele Someleze Nohamba… DHS men surely have the names, the monikers, that take the innocent straight to Hip Hop and House, hey Jackal?
“Before the unknowing (not Jackal) discover that the theatres of KZN10 schoolboy rugby are a better bet if one hopes to nail down these colourful characters in the Blue & Gold family.
Fortunately for you, dear KZN10 supporters, I know you would have been miffed if I’d started the story with my *piffery musings. I was going to ask that you please be patient… Like a meticulously planned pre-match warm-up from your favourite conditioning coach, I was going to say, “Have courage, I’m gradually building up to views a’La Douce…
- Sandile Patrick Valentino Dube… DHS Über Alles… 2017 DHS captain & SA Schools’ Pepsi Buthulezi.
To continue – The name Valentino is an Italian baby name… well, In Italian the meaning of the name Valentino is: Brave & strong. Now that’s more like the Sandile Patrick Valentino Dube I know… one of the most passionate DHS fans and sports coaches you’re ever likely to discover.
- DHS first XV, Sharks U18 Craven Week & SA Schools 9 Sanele Nohamba thrilled KZN10 crowds last year.
THE 2017 DHS, Sharks U18 & SA Schools scrumhalf & Player of the 2017 Craven Week Sanele Nohamba was instrumental in the Hamba la (the polite translation means to “Go Away”) of many teams last year.
Let’s see if who’s going to deliver a polite Hamba la tomorrow.
Oh ye long-suffering KZN10 readers, the sorely-earned instinct borne of avoiding rabid loose forwards tells me I’d better shut up.
So, will the even more evocative Shakur La Douce do the same for DHS should the Sharks U18 Academy Week flyhalf (selected just yesterday) conjure up the intoxicating potion of skill sets he so vividly demonstrated in School’s more-than-impressive 45-30 win over the Red Black White on Van Heerdens last Saturday?
It’s all for the taking.
# Jackal Ntakuseni Tshikosi is a former Michaelhouse first XV player with a great sense of humour.
* The word (lol) “piffery”… Don’t Google – I made it up. Why? Easy answer, dear reader… ‘cos it sounded good…
Conan Lefleur on Saturday’s 1st XV Durban Derby: Glenwood vs DHS
GLENWOOD first XV head coach Derek Heiberg describes his 2017 SA Schools outside centre thus:
“Conan Lefleur? Strong work ethic, strong defensively, linebreak ability on attack, member of our leadership group who are an extension of our management team throughout the week and on game day.”
There’s not much more a coach could ask of his player.
Chatting to Conan, his coach’s assessment comes out in this powerfully built 13’s replies.
“Thank you for taking the time, sir, I really appreciate it.
“I feel very honoured to play on Dixons Saturday because it’s our first home game as a team and we want to make it very special in sharing this day with our proud Old Boys who are traveling from far, as well as the Old Boys closer to home.”
‘Playing in front of such a big crowd is just unbelievable…’
“It’s one of those games we will remember for the rest of our lives’
It’s a big one for Conan and the unbeaten Green Machine – Yes folks, it’s the age-old Durban Derby with the Blue and Gold of Durban High School… On Dixons. On Glenwood Old Boys Day. It’s a 1.55pm kick-off … It’s Saturday, 26 May 2018.
“I think it’s going to be one of those games that we will remember for the rest of our lives,” says the midfielder.
“It (last year’s Durban derby) was very special indeed. Unfortunately we couldn’t convert pressure into points and that cost us the game.”
Glenwood 17 DHS 20 it was.
Glenwood centre Conan Lefleur… strong on attack and defence…
Photo: TRACEY VAN AARDWEG
Like this year, the 2017 match was also played on Glenwood Old Boys Day – In honour of the DHS 150th anniversary celebrations 2 years ago. What would have been a Glenwood home game was appropriately transferred to School’s beloved Van Heerdens.
Last year’s match was an absolute cracker of a cracker.- as illustrated by DHS kicking coach Lyle Matthysen, an assistant to head coach Scott Mathie: “Anyone who watched the game will tell you it was one of the best, if not the best, game of schoolboy rugby they have ever seen.”
Back to Conan: “Dixons was packed last year… with a massive crowd full of passion for the game. Playing in front of such a big crowd is just unbelievable… It motivates me to keep on going till the last minute. I love it when I’m doing the best I can – and that’s playing inspirational rugby.
“But what happened last year is over and done with. For us as the Green Machine it’s not about getting revenge for last year, it’s about playing as a family, Stick to our game plan and the scoreboard will give the true reflection.”
The 2018 Glenwood first XV have 13 wins from 13 starts. Last week in Krugersdorp, the Green Machine beat Monnas 49-22.
“I think with the expansive gameplan that we play… it’s very difficult for a team to defend it.
“The build-up towards Saturday has not been easy because there is always room for improvement but, as I say, when the going gets tough the tough get going.”
Well said, Conan.
May Saturday’s muscle-up go down in the annals of KZN schoolboy rugby history as yet another Durban Derby to remember.
Skonk, the Crow’s Nest… the Class of ’81 … Toffa’s tales…
“THE Red Black and White stands for family, friendship, tradition, shared values and an undying loyalty. I will never forget those days and still attend Old Boys Reunions from time to time… and re-live that special feeling each time.”
The Toffa Hattingh story is remarkable for many reasons. Coming to Maritzburg College’s Nathan House as a wide-eyed boarder in 1977 – knowing absolutely no-one, must have been the biggest possible shock to the system of a 13 year old. Yet four short years later Toffa left Maritzburg College as a hugely popular and deeply respected head prefect, Natal Schools’ lock forward, shot putt champion and a mean guitar player.
As Toffa’s time in the head prefect’s Crow’s Nest digs perched atop Clark House – and the Class of 81’s year – was nearing its close, the one and only Dave Dell, who was the senior teacher in charge of prefects, said in a meeting with us 1982 prefects-in-waiting that “Hattingh was the best Maritzburg College head prefect in 25 years.”
‘The fact that Skonk remembered my dad was extra motivation’
Featured image the Maritzburg College Foundation logo: Much of what Toffa says in this feature’s opening paragraph speaks of a culture, a community, its aspirations… captured in the success story that is the Maritzburg College Foundation. If you would like to know more, contact the Foundation at 033 345 9660 admin@collegefoundation.co.za or go to http://collegefoundation.co.za/
Toffa and his dad, Boet Hattingh (1951 first XV flyhalf) donated these special pieces of memorabilia to the Maritzburg College Museum, situated in one of the 155-year-old school’s venerable red-brick buildings – a structure that the boys of decades back coined the ‘Crystal Palace’. Insets in the picture frame nearest Toffa feature his head prefect’s badge, a photo of Toffa’s dad, as well as one of his brother-in-law, head of Maritzburg College mathematics Piet Snyman, who coached the Maritzburg College first XV during a four-year period, from 2009 to 2012.
‘One Skonk story was about a lock forward with a bit of a boep called Vanderplank’
Christopher Willem Hattingh… the moniker “Toffa” stuck from toddler years when “Christopher” was a bit of a mouthful for young Hattingh, so in the manner so endearing of little kids young Christopher decided that Toffa was a better bet when introducing himself.
Brought up on his mom and dad’s trading store in deepest Zululand somewhere near-ish to Nongoma, Toffa’s primary school days were spent in an establishment where standards 1 (grade 1) to 5 (grade 7) consisted of a handful of rural children in a single classroom. Toffa’s gran was the teacher, most of the lessons were in Afrikaans. There was no team sport, obviously, so no rugby, no nothing apart from a bit of fun in the back yard with his mom, dad, and considerably older sisters Sally-Anne and Louise.
Toffa was in my standard 6 class. Knowing Toffa had no-one in the KZN capital to visit after the boarders’ compulsory morning church on Sundays, I invited this deeply sensitive, lost soul (okay, that’s a bit of writer’s licence) to come have Sunday lunches with the Cooks. Gradually, step by step, this country boy grew in confidence and blossomed into the esteemed young man who was chosen to lead the Maritzburg College pupil body in a quick-as-a-flash four years’ time.
‘… the ball hit the crossbar and bounded back onto his big belly…’
Now a senior member of the SA Air Force, who started his military career as a Parabat, here’s the (primarily rugby) story I invited Toffa to tell:
“The 1981 Maritzburg College first XV played DHS home and away. We won both. The atmosphere was unbelievable… The game was over in what felt like seconds. The away game was extra special as it was my last game for College, my last game in the Red Black and White. I remember crying my eyes out as I ran onto Van Heerdens…
“I cannot recall any major parts of the games or the people… just know we were always about team effort. Individual performance was secondary. The fact that we did not wear numbers also struck a chord with me. Team first, we are one.”
‘Skonk was the greatest… Best scrum coach ever’
When asked to jog my fog-enshrouded memory as to who were regular members of the unbeaten 1981 Maritzburg College first team, Toffa didn’t hesitate for a second:
”Fullback Clive Cole, right wing Keven Stander, centres Kevin Torlage, Ross Cooper (Mike White), left wing Mike Wessels, flyhalf Henry Coxwell (captain), scrumhalf Brett Walker (vice-captain), front-row Cliffy Torlage, Buster Mackenzie (hooker) and Lance ‘Skove’ Gold, locks (Mike) “Rab” Bode, (Dave “Toti” Waters) and myself, flanks Wayne Glover and Dave Slater-Kinghorn, Boetie Potgieter eighthman.”
Four members of that unbeaten side went on to play Craven Week – the devastating halfbacks Coxwell (vice-capt) and Walker, centre Kevin Torlage, and Toffa at lock. The talk amongst a number of knowledgeable KZN schoolboy rugby observers was that centre Ross Cooper might well have made that 1981 Nat Schools side had it not been for the injury that sadly cut short his season.
Let’s get back to Toffa and what it meant to him to represent the Red Black and White: “To play for a school that many generations of College boys had played for, was particularly special. I was coached by the same guy that coached my dad 30 years before, Skonk. The fact that Skonk remembered my dad was extra motivation.
“Skonk was the greatest. Would talk a lot and use examples from previous teams and players to make a point. Best scrum coach ever. I believe the current Boks could still benefit from his techniques.
“One Skonk story I always remember was about a lock forward with a bit of a boep called Vanderplank…
“Skonk wanted us to remember to follow up on kicks at posts. He said that Vanderplank religiously followed up on every kick and never had any luck … Until one day when the ball hit the crossbar and bounded back onto his big belly. He managed to hold on and fell over under the posts for a try. So Skonk’s lesson: “Always chase after a place-kick.”
Toffa says Skonk always spoke isiZulu and had a knack for spotting talent: “I remember one year (1980) he just disappeared from firsts and seconds practice on Goldstones… went walking down to the 5ths and 6ths practice. He returned with a small player from the 5ths (Louis Oosthuizen) who ended up playing first team flank.
“The Red Black and White stands for family, friendship, tradition, shared values and an undying loyalty. I will never forget those days and still attend Old Boys Reunions from time to time… and re-live that special feeling each time.”
Thanks Toffs – for me personally you brought back memories that were quite emotional in parts.
*Prop forward Bertram Eustace Vanderplank was born in Melmoth (in Zululand terms not too-oooo far from Toffa’s childhood place lol) on 29 April 1894.
Mr Vanderplank of Eshowe Rugby Football Club and Natal (1924) was the fourth member of the 15 young men of the Red Black and White to represent the Springboks…
At the age of 30, Bertram propped the Bok scrum in a pair of Test matches – against the 1924 British Isles (now British &Irish Lions).
Bertram Eustace’s’s Bok debut was on South Africa’s own House of Pain… the Boet Erasmus Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 13 September 1924. His second – and last – Test match in the Green and Gold colours of South Africa was on the gentler turf of Newlands.
Clearly the Vanderplank determination that Skonk spoke of bore its just reward post-school…
In the beginning… Jono’s painful memories of the DHS U13A rugby side
IT was the year circa 1977.
Michael Osz on the left wing – beyond blistering pace – Leighton Higgo on the right – unbelievable strength and explosive power – loose forwards like starving, rabid Rottweilers with an insatiable appetitefor scrumhalves and flyhalves… an absolute stormer of a DHS U13A pack…
DHS Old Boy Andrew ‘Shedders’ Shedlock – Springbok water polo and Shedders Cricket Academy just a couple of his many achievements.
As a 13-year-old second former (grade 8) this is what I saw. And, painfully, felt in the return match on Van Heerdens, lol .
When you’re playing against a side that’s so much better, this is what you can feel – so very, very real to an impressionable young mind.
Thankfully I was injured for that first Maritzburg College vs DHS U13A match in 1977. The venue was Snows, the rugby and cricket field just below Goldstones…
In my Merchiston Prep School standard 5 (grade 7) year I’d never, ever, encountered such beasts. Well, on that welcome-to-the-big-wide-world-of-high-school day on Snows, with tries still 4 points, School U13’s ran riot, especially Mike Osz and Leighton Higgo, all the way to the 40-plus to zilch endgame score and then some.
The return match on Van Heerdens… I was unfortunately fit.
The late Ken Elliott (who went on to become a much-loved and respected Maritzburg College headmaster) was our coach. The MC U13A captain – quickest off the mark and our best tackler by a country mile – was one Henry Gordon Coxwell. With much good sense, Mr Elliott decided that H should move to fullback, primarily – I surmise – to contain the Osz/Higgo threat. Yours truly, right wing that year, though more accustomed to playing flyhalf in Merchiston Prep days, was moved to 10…
Well, it was absolute mayhem… The monstrous DHS U13A pack got plentiful front-foot ball – primarily thanks to (the late) Andrew “Waka” Carl and his front-row cohorts along with fellow tight five cronies Chris Edwards and Steve Meyer… and this time their loosies, Messrs Farrant and Cross, didn’t bother to give their backs a run – numbers 6, 7 and 8 skipped going to the tryline through A (Jimmy Cook), B, C & D on to Osz/Higgo… They wisely decided much better to go from A to Z in one move. The result? The sum of 40-odd points to zero, nada, again.
Does my Maritzburg College age-group tale of woe continue?? “No!” he cried! The next year, on Lamonds, just below College Road, one Arthur Wormington (the multi-talented sportsman who, remarkably, went on to vice-captain the SA Schools’ hockey team just 3 years later, just 2 years after taking up hockey) slotted a drop-goal for College U14A to win by one slender point.
Arthur ‘Worms’ Wormington (right) with Michaelhouse Old Pumpy Lambert at the Boks vs Japan 2015 Rugby World Cup match in Brighton.
And it gets even better… The U13A Maritzburg College vs DHS annus horribilis of 1977 evolved into back-to-back Red Black and White first XV victories for the MC Class of 81.
If my cobweb-covered memory serves me correctly, in that MC U13A side of 77 so ruthlessly vanquished by that DHS mean machine, were a few Red Black & White who went on to play in the Goldstones- and Van Heerdens-victorious Maritzburg College first XV of 1981.
The salad days of matric 1982… the years haven’t been kind to Jono…
There may have been more but definitely among them were Henry Coxwell, Ross Cooper (I think Ross played in at least one of them before injury cut his 81 season), Mike “Rab” Bode and Mike White… and a lock by the name of Toffa Hattingh…
‘It will always be an immense honour to wear the Blue and Gold’
In the aftermath of home side DHS first XV retaining the Skonk Nicholson Cup with a 45-30 win over Maritzburg College on Saturday, 19 May 2018 in an exciting match spiced with high-tempo adventurous running rugby, at-times astonishing combination play, intelligent tactical and clearance kicking plus superb shots at posts with the boot, it’s always a treat to hear the stories of Old Boys who represented the Blue and Gold or Red Black & White in those epic traditional KZN derbies from many (and not so many!) years ago.
Here’s Lyle Matthysen – a School man through and through who is an integral part of the DHS coaching staff – current (2018) captain and number 8 Mpilo Gumede, last year’s dynamic loose forward and captain Pepsi Buthulezi and fellow 2017 playmaker (at 9 or 10) supreme Sanele Nohamba (all 3 SA Schools in 2017) just three of the many Durban High School boys that have benefited in one way or another from the intelligent “Skylo’s” input.
Pepsi’s DHS Team of 2017 played some of the most exhilarating KZN schoolboy rugby you are ever likely to see.
A player who made a deep impression on Lyle: Pepsi Buthulezi, the 2017 DHS captain, loose forward and SA Schools cap.
Photo Neville Bailey
“Thanks Jono, I coached Sanele and Pepsi as U15’s and have been involved with them from the start of there 7’s careers, so it was extra special to be part of them with the 1st team last year.
Another School first XV player who Lyle has a lot of time for is School’s 2017 wizard scrumhalf Sanele Nohambe, who delivered some of the most complete performances seen at KZN & SA schoolboy level last year.
Photo Neville Bailey
“I played DHS 1st team in my matric year. Unfortunately I suffered concussions, therefore I only managed to gain 9 caps; however it was still enough to keep the number 15 fullback jersey.
“I played against College on Van Heerdens and we lost 31-13. We were simply physically out-muscled by a very strong College team. A standout for College was (front-ranker) Nick Schonert who has now played for the English Saxons.”
This special rivalry also creates strong bonds across the school divide
“In my Grade 11 year I played for the 2nd XV and played against College twice. The first game on Van Heerdens was extremely special as it was the first time that our floodlights were turned on. We lost the game, but it was an absolute humdinger with the score ending 8-7. The atmosphere was something I had never experienced before. However the second fixture at Goldstones wasn’t that great for us and we caught a proper smack! I definitely felt the effect of Goldstones that day!”
“A standout player for my first XV in 2009 would be been our captain and inside centre Justin Christoforus. A real no-nonsense, hard-running centre known for his defence!”
Of course, this special rivalry also creates strong bonds across the school divide –
Here’s Lyle to tell it: “Very good College friends of mine would be Ant Pissara and Dean Pengelly. Myself and Dean were both at Durban Prep so our bond continued as we went to high school. Ant was equally passionate about College as I am for DHS, so the banter and camaraderie made us really good friends.”
Ahead of the match today, these were Lyle’s last words: “DHS is the oldest school in Durban. No matter what happens, win or lose, it will always be an immense honour to wear the Blue and Gold. To this day, it is still one of the proudest moments of my life – playing for the 1st XV.”
Mpilo Gumede, the 2018 DHS captain & No.8 who played for SA Schools last year, leads his team out at this year’s Grey High Rugby Festival.
I love Lyle’s last paragraph – it says so much about Lyle the person and so much about the heritage of DHS rugby.
DHS vs Maritzburg College 1st XV epics… 1987-1989… Ivy’s memories
‘The atmosphere is electric… bashers flying every time College score is a sight to behold’
It’s SUPER SATURDAY 19 May 2018… 255 St Thomas Rd, Musgrave, Durban… the age-old Derby…
Durban High School’s (1866) Old Gold and Maritzburg College’s (1863) Red Black & White…
DHS first XV versus Maritzburg College first XV… kick-off at 2.10pm… on Van Heerdens.
Deo Fretus (In God We Trust) hosting Pro Aris et focis (For Hearth & Home).
Ivan Pistorius played for DHS first XV in 1987, 1988 and 1989… Ivy remembers those epics…
Ivy Pistorius… DHS first XV flyhalf/centre 1987 to 1989.
“In 1987 our first fixture was against College at Goldstones and I remember the match very well. Their side was captained by Brenton Catterall who at lock was a beast of a man. They also had the likes of Grant Reid, Udo Goedeke, Andrew Godfrey, Ian Vynne and Warren Wilson. We lost 19-4 … I still remember how hard the field was… Never before had I tackled so much .
“Our ’87 side was captained by prop Hague Thomson and had John Slade as our only Natal Schools player. We had 4 grade 11s in that team – Deon Von Beneke, Nigel Strachan, myself and Grant Sheppard on the wing. The return at DHS was a close game with us losing 7-6.
‘…1987 I remember how hard Goldstones was. I’d never tackled so much before…’
“In 1988 our team was captained by flanker Deon von Beneke with me being vice-captain. Leading into the College game both of us were unbeaten and we played this match over a long weekend. I remember the crowd was huge and College totally outplaying us to win 28-10. Maritzburg College were captained by Andrew Ralfe and had the likes of Wayne Sharpley, Wayne Huinink, Andrew Godfrey, Brett Emberton, Rick De Villiers and Ian Vynne. I remember the return game well at College where we lost 8-13 in a top game on Goldstones. We had 3 Natal Schools players Bruce Layzell, Costa Mamaliades and Deon Von Beneke.
Van Heerdens 1988… Red Black White 1st XV by 5 tries to 1…
“In 1989 we played College on our DHS Founders Day. Our team was captained by number 8 Thomas Jankovich and we had the likes of Lionel Andreou, Richard Allen at flyhalf, me and Doug Wayt at centre and the talented Andrew Purnell at fullback. College were captained by Bruce Lesur and they had Clinton Rhodes, Ross Veenstra, Duncan Macdonald. We were motivated!!! And on 3rd June 1989 we beat College 13-7 with a try from Lionel Andreou and 3 penalties from Andrew Purnell.
The 1988 DHS first XV… In 1989, on Van Heerdens, the 13-7 win over the Red Black & White – on School’s Founders Day – snapped a 9-year 17-match drought.
‘The whole school doing the war cry on the field… beating College for the 1st time in 9 years’
Inspiration for School’s young men of future generations…
“It was the only game College lost that year and we had 2 Natal Schools players Lionel Andreou and captain Tom Jankovich. In the return game I did not play as I was injured against Hilton two weeks before.”
‘There is something very special about playing against the Red, Black and white of College.’
“The atmosphere is always electric and the sight of the bashers flying up in the air every time College scores is a sight to behold. We use to have approximately 30 teams playing College and as our oldest rivals there was always mutual respect for each other.
DHS first XV players (l-r) Robert Chrystal, Ivan Pistorius, Robin Buchanan and (14 ) Andrew Crawford .
“I was fortunate to play 46 matches for the DHS first rugby team with 35 being consecutive. I missed the St Stithians Festival and the last 2 matches against Northlands and College. If it had not been for the knee surgery I had after cricket season and the injuries in the last 2 games I would have played 50 matches for the DHS first team, which would have been a big milestone for me.
“I hope I have given you some insight into how special it is to have played against College – and to only beat them once in the 5 derby games I played shows what a great rugby school they were and still are.
“Thank you for letting me share my fond memories with you. DHS vs Maritzburg College – as the 2 oldest schools in KwaZulu-Natal – will always be a very special occasion. GO SCHOOL!”
The boys of Durban High School will be giving it all for the Old Gold.
Regards
Ivan Pistorius
DHS (Class of 1989)
Thanks Ivy – You have conjured up special memories… Bring on Super Saturday!